Sukkot, also known as the Festival of Booths or Tabernacles, is a week-long Jewish festival that begins on the 15th day of Tishrei, five days after Yom Kippur. It commemorates the 40 years of wandering in the desert after the Exodus from Egypt, when the Israelites lived in temporary shelters.

The period between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur is known as the Ten Days of Awe (Aseret Yemei Teshuvah). These ten days are among the most sacred in the Jewish calendar — a time for deep reflection, repentance, and the pursuit of self-improvement.

Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish year, follows Rosh Hashanah and concludes the Ten Days of Repentance. Known as the Day of Atonement, it is a solemn day dedicated to reflection, repentance, and spiritual cleansing.

Erev Yom Kippur is the evening before Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. It is a time for final preparation, reflection, and spiritual readiness before entering the Day of Atonement, which emphasizes repentance, prayer, and reconciliation.

The Fast of Gedaliah (Tzom Gedaliah) is a minor Jewish fast day observed on the day after Rosh Hashanah (or postponed if it falls on Shabbat). It commemorates the assassination of Gedaliah ben Achikam, the Babylonian-appointed governor of Judah after the destruction of the First Temple in 586 BCE.

Rosh Hashanah, meaning “Head of the Year”, marks the beginning of the Jewish New Year and opens the Ten Days of Repentance that culminate in Yom Kippur. It is both solemn and joyful — a time for reflection, renewal, and hope for the year ahead.

Erev Rosh Hashanah, the evening before Rosh Hashanah, marks the beginning of the Jewish New Year. It is a time of preparation, reflection, and spiritual readiness as we enter the Ten Days of Awe — a sacred season of introspection and renewal.

As the Jewish year draws to a close, we enter Elul, the final month before the High Holy Days of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Far from being just a countdown, Elul is a sacred time of preparation — a spiritual prelude to the Yamim Nora’im (Days of Awe).

Judaism is often misrepresented as merely a faith tradition, comparable to Christianity or Islam. This reductive view obscures a central truth: Judaism is not solely about belief in God or religious observance — it is a peoplehood, a shared ancestral identity rooted in common history, culture, language, and land.

This silent child is not lesser. He is not to be scolded or excluded. He is to be embraced with understanding. His presence is enough. His silence is sacred. And it is our obligation to help him find his way in. This year, that child is diaspora Jewry.

Today, in our own time, we see the echoes of Haman’s evil in Hamas. Hamas is not merely a political entity, nor is it a national movement for self-determination. It is an ideological force built on the foundation of Jewish destruction.

Just six months from the massive trauma of the massacre by Hamas of Israelis on 7th October, 2023, there is a dreadful echo of the letters sent on behalf of Haman “to destroy, to slay and to exterminate” the Jews of Persia…

Reaching the 30-day mark after death is a meaningful moment for Jewish grieving. The secondary period of ritual mourning – following shiva – is lifted for anyone who has lost a family member. This particular shloshim is a national one, not just a personal one.

‘More than we Expected’ tells the story of the journey with his son, Nadav, a twin born with a congenital heart defect who died at the age of five. “Despite these difficult circumstances, More Than We Expected is not a tragedy. Instead, this memoir offers valuable lessons about the privilege of parenthood and the practice of medicine…”

The Jewish festival of Shavuot (literally ‘weeks’) occurs seven weeks after Pesach/Passover.  Shavuot was one of the three pilgrim festivals in ancient Israel, where Jews made their way to the Temple in Jerusalem.

If you’re in the mood for a little musical nostalgia this Passover, do enjoy these gems from Theodore Bikel. Bikel has been called ‘one of the most versatile and respected actors and performers of his generation’.

Rev Dr Nigel Woodley explains the deep significance of Israel to him and how it is fundamental to his religious beliefs

David Shenkin gives a personal and frank account about growing up Jewish in Auckland; how he moved away from his roots as a teenager; the struggles on his journey back to Judaism as he found his faith once more.

This part of the Jewish Lives website is a series of short articles to help our visitors to negotiate the complexities of Jewish faith and its various and many expressions.

In Judaism, it is believed that adherents must serve God by study, prayer and the observance of the commandments laid out in the Torah. Here, Miriam Bell outlines the key rituals of Jewish faith.